er in cases of necessity; and those chains of large water-holes
which we frequently met along and within the scrubs, when once filled,
will retain their water for a long time. The extent of the neighbouring
scrubs will, however, always form a serious drawback to the squatter, as
it will be the lurking place and a refuge of the hostile natives, and a
hiding place for the cattle, which would always retire to it in the heat
of the day, or in the morning and evening, at which time the flies are
most troublesome.

March 7.--I moved my camp through the mountain gorge, the passage of
which was rather difficult, in consequence of large boulders of
sandstone, and of thickets of narrow-leaved tea-trees growing in the bed
of the river. To the northward, it opens into fine gentle Ironbark slopes
and ridges, which form the heads of the Isaacs. They seem to be the
favourite haunts of emus; for three broods of them were seen, of ten,
thirteen, and even sixteen birds. About four miles from the gorge, we
came to the heads of another creek, which I called "Suttor Creek" after
--Suttor, Esq., who had made me a present of four bullocks when I
started on this expedition; four or five miles farther down we found it
well supplied with fine water-holes. Here, however, patches of scrub
again appeared. The ridges were covered with iron-coloured quartz
pebbles, which rendered our bullocks footsore. The marjoram was abundant,
particularly near the scrubs, and filled the air with a most exquisite
odour. A mountain range was seen to the right; and, where the ranges of
the head of the Isaacs abruptly terminated, detached hills and ridges
formed the south-western and southern barrier of the waters of Suttor
Creek.

March 8.--As we followed the creek about nine miles farther down, it
became broader, and the Casuarinas were more frequent. Its bed was sandy,
occasionally filled with reeds, and contained numerous water-holes,
particularly where the sandstone rock formed more retentive basins.

During the last two days we had drizzling rain, which cleared up a little
about noon and at night. The weather was delightfully cool; the wind was
very strong from the eastward. I sent Mr. Roper forward to look for
water, of which he found a sufficient supply. He stated that the country
to the westward opened into fine plains, of a rich black soil; but it was
very dry. The bluff terminations of the left range bore E. by S., and
that on the right E.N.E.

March